In a follow up study to the obese mice one mentioned in the last post, researchers set out to find exactly what was similar and different in obese and lean people on a metabolic level. They compiled metabolic profiles for 18 individuals and examined (among many other things) how many genes were processing sugar and … Continue reading →

Though humans and mice do not share the same microbial inhabitants nor do we have the same core metabolic functions, researchers did find parallels to the mouse studies in human volunteers. The analysis of the microbial fingerprint of 18 human individuals, including twins[1], revealed many mousey similarities[i]. As in mice, the ratio of Bacteriodetes to … Continue reading →

Genetic diversity allows us to have access to a repertoire of genetic tools that can help up function better in our environment. Diverse genetic stories give our microbial communities resilience to sudden or not so sudden environmental changes. Thus, with a diverse microbiome, we can encounter disruptions (and we do) that threaten the homeostasis of … Continue reading →

In addition to diet-driven pressures on our gut ecosystem, research suggests that the Western obsession with killing germs, via broad antimicrobial agents such as antibiotics, might also be driving microbial diversity down, leaving fewer and fewer microbes to homestead in our GI river valley[i]. Though the cleanliness of early humans leaves much to be desired … Continue reading →

Since not all species of microbe are created equal, we can assume that certain microbial genera and species do have genetic endowments that allow them to better function in a niche than others. Nature is very smart about conservation of resources; therefore, despite the elusiveness of a solid core of microbes or genes on the … Continue reading →

Think about it this way: we all have individual fingerprints on hands that function similarly. If we think about the classification of microbes as a description of what a hand looks like, we can envision how this classification can work on a functional level in our guts and how it can help us better understand … Continue reading →

The hope is that in examining what lives in our guts on a species level, we will discover just who lives in us and infer from that the functional ability of an individual’s metabolism. Just as in the animal world, microbes have a taxonomy. Humans belong to the phylum Chordata/Vertebrata which groups us with other … Continue reading →